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Haiwaste
Geography Haiwaste is an arid region, but not a complete desert like Sahra'a to the south. The reason for this is a network of aquifers under the bedrock fed by rivers flowing from the eastern mountain range, which eventually empty into Skarval's tepui system. However, the area's sand isn't actually very deep, rarely going down more than a meter or so before hitting a Kaolin layer and then ridiculously tough bedrock. This is due to high levels of intrusive geothermal activity, which means that the heat below the bedrock is enough to superheat the water and force it to rise, bringing along dissolved potassium-feldspar formations. Eventually, this slurry penetrates and mixes with the bedrock and clay when the pressure reaches critical mass to form a mud volcano. After the initial volcanic burst, the pressure usually settles down into a muddy hot spring, which lasts until it eventually cools and hardens. When it finishes hardening, it no longer allows any water or gas to escape, setting the stage for the water to hit critical pressure and burst again. The clay itself is Kaolin, a white clay that can be digested by humans and other animals and is formed by the breakdown of Feldspar and other silicon compounds such as sand. It's actually good for you as long as you're sure to boil out any contamination, despite tasting a bit like chalk. In this case, the mud contains potash salts, which largely escape into the surrounding sands and act as fertilizer. As such, due to the high quantity of water and fertilizers, these mud volcanoes tend to form peaty, shrubby oases in an otherwise xeric climate. It's also a "cool" desert, which can be attributed largely to its more northern position and the seasonal freezing winds flowing down from Frosskov. Haiwaste's resource requirement is stone, since the only natural rock formations present are nigh-indestructible ablative bedrock and the occasional sandstone deposit that collapses back into sand if you try to mine too much of it. People Some of Haiwaste's inhabitants are human, strongly resembling the nearby Skarvali and Maian peoples, though their population tends to be largely concentrated in cities like Poel and larger villages. Most of the remainder are Black-scaled Drakefolk, resembling their cousins in Felitora further west. Resources The lands of Haiwaste are best known for their mudpots, large holes in the bedrock where heat from underground causes the aquifers to bubble and mix with the clay deposits deep under the sand. These pots fill with a whitish, rich, red-hot slurry, usually just called Mud. While one might not have expected it, the stuff turned out to be edible once cooled a bit and actually tastes fine, if a bit bland. Does wonders to settle the stomach, too. These same lands contain deposits of Potash, which is mainly good for fertilizer: It's easy enough to find, since plants tend to grow more thickly nearby. The potash also has a military use, as filtering properly-treated manure through it yields saltpetre, a useful alchemical agent. While Haiwaste has plenty of bedrock and even a few sandstone hills, virtually all stone is unsuitable for construction of any kind. The bedrock can not be easily penetrated, and mining it will slowly ablate it chip-by-chip rather than rendering useful material. The sandstone has a similar problem, in that it is fairly easy to obtain but lacks strength once cut from surrounding material. References http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=17512179&postcount=3 Category:Regions Category:Regions of Telluris